A woman is lucky to be alive after bridge bombers threw a brick through her sunroof.

Police are stepping up the hunt to catch young thugs who bombarded drivers with bricks and masonry from a 30ft flyover above the A19 at the weekend.

In one incident, 29-year-old Clare Coulthard from Newcastle nearly lost control of her Mini Metro when a concrete slab smashed through her sunroof, just missing her head.

Officers say children as young as 12 could be behind the latest in a string of attacks on one of Tyneside's busiest stretches of road.

Four cars were damaged on Saturday afternoon when the youngsters threw stones and bricks, while on Sunday another two cars were damaged.

Chief Insp Derek Scott said: "The only description of the people responsible is that they are children aged about 12 or 13.

"It is by pure chance no one has been hurt or even killed through these reckless acts. The injuries that could be caused by missiles coming through a windscreen could be horrific.

"This woman was very shaken but she pulled into a lay-by and phoned police. The force helicopter searched the area but they had vanished.

"Even if the objects don't hit the occupants, such an incident could easily lead to the driver losing control and crashing.

"If caught, the people doing this could face charges of causing criminal damage with intent to endanger life which could result in a life sentence.

"We are investigating whether this incident linked to a similar attack on cars last month by a group of children at the Silverlink roundabout, just half a mile away.

"Both of these were very serious offences involving children of the same age and we are appealing to the public to help us catch them."

Police, who have just released the CCTV footage, are hoping people will recognise the youths.

Those caught throwing missiles from bridges can face charges ranging from damaging property, being reckless as to whether life would be endangered, and even murder.

Police say the road, the main route to the Tyne Tunnel, has been the scene of a number of similar attacks over the years.

Last month a female motorist had a narrow escape when a missile bounced off the bonnet of her car.

And in March 2001, taxi driver David Mack, of Cartington Road, North Shields, cheated death when a piece of metal hit his car and pierced the bonnet before bouncing over his cab.

North Tyneside police discovered a deadly craze in which youths were pelting cars from a footbridge over the A19 near the Tyne Tunnel entrance. Teenager Jamie Howells, 19, who damaged a VW Golf from the same spot, was jailed for three years telling a court he got a kick hurling stones from the bridge.

Anyone with information should contact North Shields andrew.lloyd@ncjmedia.co.uk